Family

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Pumpkin Heads

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[29 October, 2022]

Chicken wings, pasta salad, veggie bird’s nests, spaghetti, and of course, cake (Death by Chocolate!) for my brother-in-law Robert’s birthday on Saturday.

And since it’s Halloween, a fun time carving pumpkin heads!

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A Birthday Party

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[04 October, 2022]

It was my sister Emilie’s birthday so it’s a celebration complete with cake and as tradition dictates, some noodle dish (for long life).

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Weekend with Family

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[24-25 September, 2022]

My final weekend in town was spent with family, and guess what? More food! On Saturday, it was lunch at a Japanese izakaya restaurant, and dinner at home where we enjoyed a home-cooked meal (main dish of roasted pork with pineapple sauce courtesy of me!). Then on Sunday, it was brunch at La Luna Cafe with the nephews, and I closed out the day with a date at The Spa with my niece while a tropical storm raged outside.

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Trip to the Highlands

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[23 September, 2022]

It was my niece Kristine’s birthday so we went on a little out-of-town trip to Tagaytay City, a popular weekend get-away not too far south of Manila. Time for more traditional FIlipino food for lunch at Balay Dako, a popular heritage house restaurant overlooking Tagaytay’s most famous attraction, Taal Volcano.

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Pan-Asian Eats

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[17-19 September, 2022]

A weekend that started with the community street food market led to an unintentional foodie tour of Southeast Asia. First, it was a family dinner at Nanbantei, an izakaya-style Japanese restaurant in the Greenbelt shopping, dining, and entertainment area.

The following day, it was lunch with a close childhood friend of mine and his lovely wife at Mango Tree, supposedly the best Thai restaurant in BGC.

Later in the evening, my nieces prepared some of my favorite home cooked Filipino dishes for a wonderful dinner replete with family nostalgia.

And finally, on Monday, it was another family lunch, this time at Tim Ho Wan, Hongkong’s Makati branch of their world-famous 1-Michelin star dim sum restaurant.

All told, a wonderful weekend of Asian-style small plates cuisine, shared and enjoyed with loved ones.

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Family Dinner at Home

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[13 September, 2022]

I made tiramisu for dessert and others contributed their own to this family dinner on Tuesday night.

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Seafood Dinner by the Bay

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[12 September, 2022]

Buying fresh seafood and having it cooked by one of the local restaurants highlight the unique dining experience in this popular Manila Bay-side destination. And the beautiful, famed Manila Bay sunset was just the perfect ambiance for our family dinner.

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Nephews and Nieces

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[5 September, 2022]

An evening out at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) with nephews and nieces, and more Filipino food at Romulo Cafe.

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A Family Affair

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[4 September, 2022]

Sunday, family day. A visit to remember and honor departed family members, then a big family lunch for a very rare multi-generational get-together.

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Dining Like A Locavore

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[2 September, 2022]

First proper meal in Manila was lunch with family at Locavore with its modern interpretation of classic Filipino cuisine. In a word … scrumptious!

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Brisket Friday

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Smoked a couple of briskets overnight on Thursday for (a) a family dinner on Friday, and (b) a promised gift for a friend whose wedding I wasn't able to attend due to a schedule conflict. In the end, both parties were extremely pleased with the result.

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LA Trip

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Went to LA this past weekend to attend baby Kamille’s baptism and got to see old friends and indulge in a lot of off-diet grub as well.